Dear Rochester Families, Staff, and Community Members,
We know there are a lot of concerns and questions surrounding the proposed plan to reduce the District’s financial deficit. The Board is committed to hearing from the community it was elected to serve, while working to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars and ensuring Rochester students receive an education that prepares them for success in their chosen future.
On Wednesday, the Board of Education issued a notice about the upcoming Community Forum scheduled for Tuesday, February 10. However, after consulting with our attorneys, we discovered that the originally described format for selecting speakers would have unintentionally violated the requirements of the Open Meetings Act of Illinois.
We apologize for this unintentional oversight and are sharing an updated format to ensure the forum fully complies with the Open Meetings Act while still providing our community an opportunity to share their thoughts, concerns, and perspectives.
UPDATE Forum Format:
The forum will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and will end promptly at 8:00 pm.
Before the meeting begins, anyone wishing to speak will be asked to sign up on a speaker list.
The Board President will open the forum with brief remarks, followed by an overview of the district’s financial information presented by a member of the Board’s financial committee.
While Board Policy 2:230 authorizes five minutes of time per public comment, it authorizes the Board President to modify speaking time in order to accommodate the number of speakers. In the event the number of speakers is such that the public comment time would exceed the duration of the meeting, the time will be divided equally among those who signed up to speak, in the order of sign-in, to ensure each individual has an equal opportunity to address the Board.
If multiple individuals wish to address the board on the same subject, we ask them to consider selecting a spokesperson. This will allow as many people as possible to address the board.
As stated in the original announcement, the Board of Education will not respond to or answer questions or comments during the forum. The Board is holding this form out of its commitment to listening to community members. This forum is designed to give as many individuals as possible the opportunity to be heard before the February Board of Education meeting.
Sincerely,
The Board of Education
Rochester Community Unit District #3A